


Raising Morgan

by yuletide_archivist



Category: Howl Series - Diana Wynne Jones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-12-19
Updated: 2006-12-19
Packaged: 2018-01-25 01:30:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1624424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Howl isn't your typical parent.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Raising Morgan

**Author's Note:**

> This one hasn't been beta read. It's a bit short for separate chapters, but I really wanted the chance to use the unique chapter naming conventions from the Castle books.
> 
> Written for Moonsheen

 

 

 

 

**Part 1:  
In which Howl finds himself in a predicament**

In the moving castle belonging to the Wizard Howl, a place only the boldest dared approach as it   
swept up and down the hills near Market Chipping, it was not uncommon to run into several   
individuals who might be deemed as strong-minded. Such a designation would be entirely wrong -   
or at the very least mostly wrong - because as anyone who was personally acquainted with the   
castle's occupants could readily attest, 'strong minded' was merely the polite way around saying   
that Sophie was as stubborn as a mule or that Howl was a vain man with a tendency to slither away   
from a situation if given the least leeway. This combination led to many a spat - some of which   
were truly frightening events. But the arguments between Howl and Sophie paled in comparison to   
another occurrence that was rapidly growing in frequency.

The sound of wailing echoed down the streets of Porthaven at such a volume that it set windows to   
rattling in their frames and sent the local animals to cowering. It rang through the prosperous   
houses and shops of Kingsbury where the citizens ducked their heads and tried to behave as   
though nothing out of the ordinary was occurring at all. And on the hills above Chipping Valley it   
trailed after the castle like the blaring of an emergency siren - letting all and sundry know that the   
son of the wizard was a very unhappy child indeed.

Morgan was the name of the child in question - although his last name was open to debate given   
the tendency of the wizard Howl to take on new identities the way that most individuals will put on a   
clean shirt every day. Whatever his father's given alias was, Morgan had only one other designation   
that he answered to as often as his own name. Due to a series of events that was abnormal even   
by wizardly standards, Sophie had given birth to her son while transformed into a cat. Being a   
kitten hadn't bothered Morgan at all - nor had the name pinned on him by the old soldier they'd   
been discovered by. Whippersnapper was a fine name for a little black ball of fur with bright eyes   
and sharp claws, unfortunately it didn't work quite so well for a human baby. That just happened to   
be the one thing that Morgan took a great deal of offense at: not the name - just the lack of said fur,   
claws and tail. And he made his displeasure at their lack known to all and sundry, including his   
parents.

Unfortunately for the world at large, his parents included an extremely vexed wizard Howl..

"Sophie!" The wizard's bellow had to work extraordinarily hard to make itself heard above the cries   
Morgan was emitting - indeed, there might have been some magic at play as he called out to his   
wife, because his words were perfectly understandable, regardless of their volume. As his wife   
approached, he gave her a long-suffering look, "Sophie - is there any way to make this child happy?   
I'm at my wits end already."

"That wasn't a long trip," She regarded him coolly, taking in the pitiful face he was offering up. He   
was good at theatrics, and as soon as Sophie began to show an interest in his state, he turned on   
the act for real, his green eyes assuming the most mournful expression ever seen and the lines of   
his body telling the tale of a man who has lost life, love dignity and (worst of all) his beauty   
products. Of course, knowing that Howl was far from bereft meant that the full effect of this attempt   
was wasted. "For heaven's sake, Howl, it's not that bad. Morgan is just a bit fussy, that's all." Her   
words were punctuated by another enthusiastic yowl that reverberated through the room and   
sending tremors through the legs of the table. A dish hit the floor with a crash that went completely   
unnoticed. In the grate, Calcifer hissed and spitted in obvious distress - darting in and out among   
the logs and making grimaces that were truly frightening as they exposed every one of the purple   
flame teeth that the fire demon possessed.

As Sophie headed into the other room to tend to her fussy baby, the distraught wizard trailed   
behind her. Lifting the crying youngster, she rocked and patted at him, murmuring soothingly. Out   
of the corner of her eye, she could see her husband sinking into a chair - managing to look both   
frazzled and elegant, a combination that only Howl could have managed. Morgan wailed sharply,   
the sound cut-off mid way as he hiccuped, sniffling as he looked up at his mother. The wailing did   
not immediately resume, leading Howl to straighten up a little with a hopeful expression.

"I knew you could quiet him, Sophie," the wizard effused, much to the amusement of his better half.   
The sudden silence had improved Howl's mood considerably and he stood up, the sleeves on his   
fancy satin dressing gown trailing downward from his arms in shiny folds of green and copper. "I   
would have done so myself, but he has more discerning tastes. He gets it from me, unfortunately."

Sophie looked like she was about to make a remark that was less than flattering - perhaps   
something about Howl's "discerning tastes" - but she thought better of it, smiling instead in a   
manner that gave even the renowned wizard pause. "I'm sure you'll do just fine with him while I'm   
visiting Lettie." The dumbfounded look on Howl's angular face was a sight to behold. "You get   
along just fine with your sister's children," She pointed out, and he subsided with a disgruntled look.   
Really, what could be said to that?

  
  


**Part 2:  
In which there is much disagreement**

The wizard's mood did not improve as Sophie got ready for her visit - in fact, as his wife prepared to   
spend time with her sister, Howl was rapidly working himself into a bit of a funk. In the fireplace,   
Calcifer was watching this occurrence with an expression of smug amusement that did not go   
unnoticed. As soon as Sophie was out the door, the wizard rounded on the grinning demon. "You   
shouldn't be so happy about this Calcifer," He crossed his arms, staring down at the fiery being with   
a scowl. "You can't possibly expect me to handle a child that age without Sophie around."

"You know more about handling small children than you'd like anyone to be aware of, Howl," The   
fire demon crackled cheerfully. "Don't complain too loudly or you might wake him up."

Howl did not find this observation at all amusing. He darted a quick glance towards he other room,   
where Sophie had put Morgan to bed after calming him down. It was clear that Calcifer's   
suggestion had hit a nerve - or at least roused a significant unease. Still, there remained nothing   
but silence in response and as it continued uninterrupted, the wizard turned back to look at the fire   
demon who was blazing in undisguised amusement. "You're not much help you know," he stated   
flatly, "Actually, you're quite the opposite."

"I'm a demon," The flame being pointed out with a jagged grin, "What were you expecting?"

"I was expecting at least a little sympathy, from you of all people." Howl shook his head, letting out   
a dramatic sigh, "Really, Calcifer, after all I've done for you."

"You made me spend years stuck in your fireplace moving this entire castle willy-nilly over the   
countryside at you every whim." Still, from the lowered voice, it was clear that Howl wasn't the only   
one who didn't relish the thought of waking the beast.

"It wasn't that bad," Howl insisted with ardor.

"Not to mention fetching hot water for you every time you wanted to your latest love interest, being   
changed into a carpet..." Calcifer ignored the wizard's attempts to protest and continued listing   
examples.

"That one was not my fault!"

As soon as Howl's voice was raised even the slightest, it did as the bot of them were fearing. There   
was a brief, yet ominous silence preceding the first sob, which was at a normal enough volume for a   
fussy infant. The second and subsequent noises began quietly and then rapidly rose to the familiar,   
ear-shattering volume they'd obtained before. Calcifer cringed down again with a grimace, looking at   
Howl accusingly. The wizard barely noticed, raising both hands to cover his ears and wincing.

"Do something Howl!" the fire demon hissed pleadingly, "Do something before this noise kills the   
both of us!"

The wizard's green eyes widened at this suggestion, then narrowed, a thought obviously occurring   
to him. Normally a expression like that did not bode well for someone, a fact which Calcifer was   
well aware of. Still, in this instance, he didn't particularly mind - as long as the look wasn't aimed   
in his direction. As Howl turned and strode purposefully into the adjoining room, all Calcifer was   
bold enough to do was lean out of the grate and peer after the human, his orange eye-flames almost   
yellow with agitation.

  
  


**Part 3:  
In which magic is used heedlessly**

The noise stopped rather abruptly, causing the fire demon to blink in astonishment. He ventured   
out of the fireplace at last, flitting into the room and hovering near Howl's shoulder. What he saw   
was fairly confusing. Morgan did not look at all comforted in the manner he was when Sophie was   
trying to quiet him. In fact, he seemed even more upset than Calcifer could ever remember seeing   
him before. His little fists were clenched and flailing in the air wildly, his face pinched and red with   
anger and his mouth opened in a wide angry "o". Yet despite this, there was no noise emerging   
from his small form. His wails were completely silent.

There was little doubt that Howl was the cause of it. Calcifer looked from the muted infant to the   
wizard who had cast the spell. "Sophie wouldn't approve," he commented - although he, himself,   
didn't have much of a problem with Howl's methods. It was certainly a vast improvement on the   
noise level that had been on the verge of driving him out of the castle for the duration of Morgan's   
childhood. But he was also well aware of the way Sophie would react if she found out what her   
husband had been doing in lieu of actually trying to calm the baby down.

"I know she wouldn't," Howl replied, his tone wry. "This is just temporary. Until I think of something   
that would work better. Don't tell Sophie." That last was tacked on at the end, almost off-handedly,   
but the meaning was clear. 'Don't give her a reason to be angry at me.'

"I'm a demon, Howl," Calcifer retorted, "I'm not crazy." If Sophie discovered this, Howl might not be   
the only one she was disagreeable with - it was certainly not a risk that the fire demon wanted to   
take.

"Yes, you are" Howl paused, then clarified, "A demon. Now help me come up with a way to make   
Morgan happy - and quiet - before my wife returns and sees the results of the spell I just cast."

Calcifer didn't complain at being called upon to help in this instance, just flickered thoughtfully as he   
considered the possibilities. He had no experience at all with children - but what else could have   
been expected of a fire demon? It did seem to him that Morgan was entirely too fussy for a 'happy   
child'. He wondered why. "Why isn't he happy, Howl?" The demon asked, giving the wizard a   
searching look.

There was a pause before Howl's response - he was taking some time to consider it then, probably   
a good thing, although it surprised Calcifer that the wizard would have to think about it for so long.   
It seemed the obvious matter to address, after all.

"Sophie believes it's because he was born a kitten and kittens can walk and do other things a lot   
more quickly than human babies the same age." Howl finally said, his words slow and measured -   
thoughtful even.

That made a great deal of sense - bless the woman! Calcifer flitted back and forth over the cradle   
eagerly. "Well, in that case the answer seems easy enough!"

Howl blinked. "It does at that..." He looked down at his silently fussing son with a contemplative   
smile.

  
  


**Part 4:  
In which matters are concluded - although not to everyone's complete satisfaction**

When Sophie arrived home to silence, she was rather pleasantly surprised. Despite her   
assurances, she'd been expecting to come home to a scene much like the one that had started out   
their day. The quiet meant that either Howl had proven his own claims wrong and had managed to   
sooth Morgan's unhappy moods, or else her son had wailed himself out of a voice and thus granted   
a temporary reprieve. All that remained was for her to find out which one - and to give Howl a piece   
of her mind if the latter was the case.

As she entered the room and walked over to Morgan's cradle, she wondered where Howl and   
Calcifer had gotten themselves to - they hadn't been in the kitchen, which was still the fire demon's   
preferred area to frequent around the house, despite not being forced to act as a cooking flame any   
longer. When she peered down into the baby bed, she was in for a second surprise - Morgan   
wasn't there. The first spike of fear went through her, but she quickly suppressed it. With Morgan   
and Howl both gone, it meant that her husband had likely just taken Morgan elsewhere in the   
house.

This assurance gave Sophie some ease as she continued to look for her wayward family members,   
hunting both upstairs and downstairs with a keen eye and a patience that was rapidly growing   
short. When she heard her husband's voice chuckling - the sound muffled through the door - she   
was about ready to lite into him with some well placed barbs. They were on the tip of her tongue as   
she opened the door, taking in the sight of Howl crouched close to the floor, laughing at something   
which had his undivided attention. Calcifer was there as well - no surprise there. The fire demon   
was flitting back and forth between Howl and the far wall, his blue body portraying a clear sense of   
amusement that matched the wizard's fairly well.

Puzzled, Sophie walked forward, not bothering to announce herself quite yet. She froze as she saw   
what the both of them were doing, not certain she wanted to believe what she was seeing. The   
wizard Howl was dangling a bit of blue string from his fingers, flicking it in a teasing manner. And   
below him on the floor, a small black kitten was crouched, tail lashing and ready to pounce.

She stood for a long moment, gaping at the sight before her. It was long enough for them to   
become aware of her presence - Calcifer reacting first, his movements stilling and an expression   
that could only be embarrassment crossing his thin blue face. It was probably the fire demon's   
reaction that clued Howl in to her presence but, if so, he made no indication of it. He didn't even   
look over his shoulder at Sophie, still dangling the string, twitching his hand so it flicked out of the   
path of Morgan's pounce. "Sophie! So how was your visit with Lettie?" His tone was so casual   
that it had to have been practiced.

"It... went well." Sophie answered the question without really thinking. Complete awareness of the   
situation kicked in a moment later. "Howl - why is our baby a kitten again?" There was a hard   
edge to her voice, and Howl's innocent smile as he turned to look at her was quite enough to make   
her very angry indeed. But she held her tongue - and her peace - for the moment, waiting for the   
answer to her question.

"I should think that's quite obvious, dear," Howl commented. "It was the best solution that Calcifer   
and I could come up with. Morgan enjoys being a kitten and I appreciate the silence."

There was a certain logic to his words, even if it was a bit skewed. Still, she wasn't about to let   
herself be placated so easily. "My son should not be a furry creature of any kind." Her tone was   
acidic, "This was not what I meant when I told you to look after him." She might have continued her   
angry words if the black kitten hadn't come up to her himself, rubbing against her ankles and   
mewing with enthusiasm. She reached down to pick him up before she realized she was even   
doing it. That wasn't the problem. The fact that she came very near to actually attempting to   
groom him with her tongue - through sheer force of habit - was far more alarming. She threw her   
husband a displeased look, but cradled her baby close to her breast, feeling the reverberations of   
his purring echoing across her skin in a pleasant manner. It was clear that Morgan had no   
objections to this situation - in fact, this was the happiest she had seen him in a long while.

Between her son's obvious contentment and Howl's charming smile, it was difficult to remember her   
objections. When Calcifer added his questioning gaze to the mix, Sophie sighed. "Not while I'm in   
the house."

Howl's satisfied smile spoke volumes, as did the quick glance that he and Calcifer shared. She   
shook her head with a sigh, cuddling Morgan and darting them a look that made it clear there was   
more to be said on this matter. For the time being, she still had more pressing matters to attend   
to. Stroking her fingers gently through her son's black fur, she turned and walked back towards the   
baby's room - now made re-aware of the many perils and eccentricities that being the wife of a   
wizard entailed.

_* End *_

 


End file.
